Programme Director – CAR

About the role

This is a 24 months replacement role with unaccompanied terms based in Bangui, Central African Republic (CAR) with a band 5 salary between EUR 47,694 – EUR 52,993.

You will be based in Bangui, and report to the Country Director (CD). You will line manage the Grants, Information and Gender Manager (GIGM), the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Manager and the Roving Area Manager (RAM). You will be responsible for the continuous improvement of Concern CAR’s programmes in order to improve quality and impact throughout the project portfolio. This will include providing strategy, direction and technical advice to all programme managers and the Area Coordinators (AC) who manage the programme managers directly. As Programme Director, you sit on the Senior Management Team (SMT), which is comprised of the Country Director, Systems Director (SD), and Country Finance Manager (CFM), with the mandate to improve both programmatic and organisational quality.

Your purpose: As a member of the SMT in Central African Republic, the PD leads the development of the overall country programme, ensuring a multi-sectoral programme approach that adheres to international and Concern standards and policies. The PD is responsible for oversight of the strategy, coordination, management, and reporting on all Concern programmes in accordance with donor proposals and guidelines and for ensuring high quality programming through technical support and effective monitoring and evaluation. The PD also represents Concern to relevant external stakeholders as necessary.

You will be responsible for:

Senior Management:

• Actively participate in the roll out and monitoring of the CAR Country Strategic Plan, as well as of organisational and country specific policies & frameworks in collaboration with relevant staff

• Produce strategic analysis and planning for programme development, expansion or emergency response as needed

• Work with the Country Director, Desk Officer, and GIGM to maintain a funding strategy to ensure future funding streams are known and developed to the greatest extent possible

• Through management of the GIGM, ensure that internal and external reporting requirements are met in an effective and timely manner through effective contract management and monitoring

• Ensure good communication and knowledge exchange between programme sites and Bangui and regularly update SMT and staff on programme implementation progress as well as programme needs

• As a member of the SMT, provide regularly scheduled field monitoring visits to ensure best practices and Concern processes are being followed to minimum waste, risk, and fraud.

Programme Development, Implementation, and Quality:

• Lead the implementation of high quality participatory programme development based upon recent and relevant information and community consultation.

• Support the GIGM, M&E Manager and ACs in planning and coordination of strategic programme development activities like contextual analyses, multisectoral assessments, and focus group discussions

• Alongside the RAM, provide technical advice and support to Programme Managers and Area Coordinators to ensure effective implementation of programmes while complying to donor guidelines and ensuring timely delivery on programme objectives

• Oversee programme activity tracking, semi-annual reviews, community consultations and feedback, and high-level budget oversight to ensure all programme remain on track and effective, and that challenges or irregularities are addressed early and often

• Ensure that Concern develops and maintains its capacity to respond to emergencies through the development and follow-up on the CAR PEER plan.

• Support the M&E Manager in the development, delivery, and maintenance of a rigorous Monitoring

and Evaluation (M&E) system.

• Support the M&E Manager to ensure regular monitoring and review of Concern CAR’s Complaint Response Mechanism

• Lead in the annual review of compliance with the Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) and progress on the CHS improvement plan.

• Continuously explore opportunities for partnerships with other international NGOs, national and local NGOs, and state agencies as part of a coordinated partnership model

• Coordinate quality improvement via visits by regional and technical Advisors and consultants and ensure that recommendations in advisor reports are implemented into programmes

• Ensure that cross cutting issues –gender, inclusion, protection and sustainability – are mainstreamed into all programme activities

• Develop relationships with potential partners, agencies and organisations through networking and the presentation of Concern programmes in CAR

Donor Compliance and Reporting

• Ensure all relevant team members are aware of relevant donor compliance aspects and reporting responsibilities through the life of each programme through kick-off workshops, planning, training, quarterly/semi-annual reviews, etc.

• Responsible for adherence to the donor reporting schedule and lead on donor reporting quality, through the GIGM and M&E Manager, working in collaboration with the PMs, ACs, and finance staff

• Oversee the compilation and consolidation of Concern’s Annual Country Report and Annexes

Financial Management & Systems:

• Review proposed programme budgets and ensure they are realistic, and in line with donor regulations

• Work with the CFM and the programme budget holders to ensure close management of budgets and expenditures in compliance with donor guidelines

• Support PMs and ACs to ensure that procurement plans are timely in place for each project and programme according to donor budgets & programme narratives

• Work with the Logistics Coordinator to ensure effective systems and logistical support to programmes ensuring PMs understand and comply with Concern Procedures & Policies

Coordination & Networking:

• Represent Concern as Co-Lead – alongside WFP – of the CAR Cash Working Group

• Manage and coordinate representation of Concern in relevant clusters and working groups meetings

• Stand in for the CD when requested to represent Concern at relevant government, donor, UN or inter agency meetings

Staff Management, Development and Organisation Learning:

• Provide technical support and on-going on-the-job training and coaching to staff in management and or technical (programme) subjects where necessary

• Ensure that work within the programme team(s) is regularly planned, organised, and adjusted in order to ensure efficiency and efficacy in a high pressure environment

• Work to build fit-for-purpose mechanisms to improve information management and organisational learning

• Ensure that Concern’s Code of Conduct and Safeguarding policies are fully integrated and implemented in all aspects of work

• Provide tailored mentoring and monitoring to GIGM, M&E Manager and RAM

Accountability

• promote and ensure compliance with the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) commitments and quality criteria

• ensure that all staff are familiar with the principles underpinning accountability, safeguarding and Concern’s Complaints and Response Mechanism (CRM) and ensure that information about Concern’s commitments on accountability and safeguarding are disseminated among programme participants and communities

• ensure that the CRM is functional, effectively implemented and accessible in all programmes’ locations, enabling safe reporting of both programmatic and sensitive complaints, including safeguarding concerns

• ensure that complaints are welcomed, managed and responded to in a timely, fair and appropriate manner; ensure that sensitive complaints, including safeguarding concerns, are handled with utmost confidentiality and that the safety of the complainants and those affected is prioritised at all stages.

Your skills and experience will include:

Education, Qualifications & Experience Required:

• Third level qualification in Development Studies, Humanitarian Aid, Nutrition, Public Health, WASH, Food Security/Livelihood or other related discipline

• A minimum of 5 years with an INGO, at least 2 of which in middle or senior management level experience in humanitarian or development programming with specific experience in managing multi sector interventions

• Fluency in written and spoken French and English

• Expertise in programme design and proposal development

• Experience in programme management, monitoring and evaluation, including the design and implementation of M&E plans, databases and tools, and the analysis and use of data and results to improve programme quality experience

• Strong communication and networking skills with peers and donors

• Strong experience in effective relationship building and staff development skills (including the ability to motivate, support and mentor colleagues)

• Empathy with Concern’s goals and a commitment to safeguarding of beneficiaries

• Experience of working and living in insecure, hardship, and sensitive environments and in complex humanitarian settings or emergency response

• Ability to work under pressure to meet tight deadlines

We would also like:

• Specific experience managing programmes in: Nutrition, WASH, food security/livelihoods and/or emergency sectors

• Experience with gender, equality, disaster risk reduction, peacebuilding, HIV &AIDS and protection mainstreaming

• Experience in participatory approaches for programme design and implementation

• Experience capacity building with partner organisations

• Experience in designing and implementing Complaint Response Mechanisms

• Skills in Digital Data Gathering, statistics and statistical analysis software packages

• Analytical and problem solving skills

• Cross-cultural awareness and sensitivity

• Strong proven delegation, time management and prioritising skills

• Good team player, flexible, patient and adaptable to a changing environment

• Previous work experience in the central African region, particularly in CAR